


Crown ♛ Cashton AU

by retrogradesos



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band), 5SOS, AU - Fandom, Lashton - Fandom, ashton irwin - Fandom, calum hood - Fandom, cashton - Fandom, luke hemmings - Fandom, michael clifford - Fandom, royalty - Fandom
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-22
Updated: 2016-12-02
Packaged: 2018-08-16 19:03:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8113906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/retrogradesos/pseuds/retrogradesos
Summary: When the beloved Prince Michael falls ill, the entire kingdom is in distress. Worried about the condition of his only heir, the king prepares for the worst. He calls on his orphaned nephew, Prince Ashton, to train him and prepare the young man to be the next king of Doloria. After learning of an arranged marriage to the princess of their neighboring country, Ashton does all that he can to get out of it.





	1. Chapter 1

"How is he doing?"

"Is he getting better?"

"What do you think happened?"

"I bet its the new cook, probably poisoned him or something."

"He looks terrible."

"Guys, shh. I think he's waking up."

It was a blur to Michael. He could hear the voices but couldn't pinpoint who or where they were coming from. His eyes slowly fluttered open and he grimaced at the bright light coming in through the window.

"Close the curtain, I want everybody out," a voice said, coming from right next to the boy, and seconds later the room appeared to be dimmer. Michael's eyes opened once again, and there was the blurry image of his mother and father standing at his bedside. "Michael, how are you feeling?" The gentle voice of his mother brought a smile to his face despite the immense amount of pain he was feeling.

Positioning his arms at his sides, Michael struggled to push himself up only to have his father's hands on his shoulders pushing him back down. There was a grubby scent in the room, he didn't know any other way to describe it. He peered down at his pale skin, pondering what could have caused this. 

"Can you tell us what happened, son?" the king asked, his voice full of concern. King Clifford was never one to show any kind of weakness. He was a strong man with a strong will and more courage than anyone could ever wish for. Perhaps it was seeing his one and only child in such a state that brought him down, or maybe fear of what would happen to his beloved kingdom of Doloria if his son were to pass. Michael didn't want to assume either, but he couldn't help but wonder. 

"I don't remember," Michael croaked out, followed by a violent cough. His parents backed away, afraid to catch whatever their son had. If it was anything like what they had seen in the past, they weren't about to take any risks. Michael watched as his mother headed towards the door. As it was opened he could make out maybe half a dozen figures outside his room, and his mother returned with one. 

"Do you remember Quinn? She'll be taking care of you until you get better," the queen explained. Michael averted his attention to the ceiling, giving a small nod of his head. He hadn't realized until then how stiff his neck felt. He let out a long sigh, again followed by a cough, and he knew that all he could do was hope he got better, and fast.

 

_one month later_

 

Ashton found himself walking through the maze in the castle's courtyard once again. He'd gone through this hundreds of times since he was kid; he had the entire thing memorized in his head. Every corner, turn, flower, and bush along the way he knew like the back of his hand. He made his trip to the center of the maze where the bush was the tallest every week. There was a large, extravagant fountain in the center of the maze, featuring the first king to have ever ruled over his home of Doloria in the center of it. The entire fountain was made out of granite and water constantly trickled down into the bottom of fountain where it created a pool for the fish to swim in. 

Ashton waited patiently in the heat, leaning his head back and closing his eyes as he sat on the edge of the fountain. He could feel a slight mist from the water but it wasn't hardly enough to keep him cool. He checked the time on the clock. He had only been out there for ten minutes, so he figured he'd give it ten more. He could feel the sweat start to gather on his forehead and over his lip, and soon enough it became too much for him to handle. He quickly removed his shirt and tossed it to the side. He would have left by now if he wasn't so eager to get what he wanted. 

Footsteps were heard coming from Ashton's left and he glanced over, expecting to see the person he had been waiting for. Seconds later, he was glad to see it was.

"It's about time," Ashton said, delighted that the blond had finally showed up. He stood and examined the taller male like he had done plenty of times before. Everything from Luke's broad shoulders and toned chest to his large hands and pink lips got Ashton worked up. He had chills thinking about all the things Luke could do to him - all the things Luke had done to him. They met up like this often to relieve themselves of their frustrations, as Ashton would say.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, your majesty," Luke said playfully with a bow and Ashton rolled his eyes, immediately grabbing hold of the boy's hands and bringing them to his waist.

"You know I need this. My uncle's been constantly nagging me about every little thing. It's exhausting and stressful and I honestly don't know how Michael dealt with that his whole life," Ashton ranted.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Luke chuckled, clearly amused.

Ashton pulled Luke closer, their bodies now touching as he stood up on his toes. "Training to be king is hard work," he mumbled, his lips brushing against the blonde's.

"Yeah, and cleaning up after one is hard too," Luke teased, letting his lips linger over Ashton's for a few more seconds before pulling away. "Speaking of, I'm gonna have to skip out on today's activities. Why King Clifford decided to host a ball tonight still puzzles me."

A groan came out of Ashton and he flung his head back dramatically. "But Luke.." he whined, tugging on his hand. 

"Don't complain to me, he's your uncle. I just work for him," Luke reasoned. Ashton couldn't be mad at Luke for that, he knew it. But he had been looking forward to this meeting since their last one.

"Well I guess it's back to studying all alone in my room then... with my big, comfortable bed and silky... sure would be nice if someone were to stop by and-"

"Ash, I'm sorry, you know I can't do it right now. And... doing it in your room? That would be way too risky."

"It'll just make it more exciting."

"I could get fired, or banished, or whatever you people do to servants who break the rules."

"You know I wouldn't let that happen," Ashton stated and started to tug his shirt back on. "So can we at least make out for a few minutes or something?" 

Luke rolled his eyes this time and shook his head, flashing his beautiful smile at the boy. "Goodbye, Ashton."

Ashton sighed as he watched Luke walk away. When he was out of sight, it was Ashton's turn to exit the maze. So much for that, he thought. He was going to get his relief tonight somehow, he was sure of it. Whether he and Luke had to sneak away during the ball or meet up sometime after it, Ashton was going to get what he wanted. 

As he approached the castle, he was met by his tutor, Alex. She had long brown hair that was always braided and pulled up into a bun. He couldn't recall ever seeing her with her hair down before, or styled any other way. Her skin was tanned, only slightly more than Ashton's, and she wore thin wire glasses. He gave her a smile and tried to enter the building quickly, knowing he was supposed to meet up with her soon for another lesson, but she stopped him before he could get inside.

"I assume you're done with you break?" she asked, shoving a book into his arms. That always deeply annoyed Ashton.

"No, actually. My meal wasn't ready yet when I went in earlier. I'm sure it is now, I'll go in and check," he said and pushed the door open, but her hand found its way to his chest and pushed him away from the door. He let out a groan and stared down at her, not bothering to hide his annoyance. But Alex was smart, he admitted to himself, because she knew he was just going to lock himself in his room rather than going back to participate in his lesson.

"I'll have one of the servants bring your meal to the classroom, come along," Alex said and guided him to the small school building behind the castle. Ashton could do nothing but oblige, knowing Alex would just turn and tell the king if he put up any sort of fight.

Ashton felt like all of this was being taken too seriously. He firmly believed that Michael would get better, he had to. There was no way Ashton could be king, or even want to be. He was raised with the bare minimum of knowledge one would expect of a prince and that was it. He hardly ever took his schooling seriously and his uncle never minded. No one ever though that this would happen. He sure as hell knew that no one in the country wanted him to become the next king. It was just a bad idea all around. He was sure that there was someone down the line much more fit for this position than he was, but Ashton's uncle firmly believed in sticking to the rules. He was next in line, therefor it was his responsibility to take over, should Michael pass or be too ill to rule. 

Ashton sat in one of the seats, the entire school room empty aside from him and Alex. Of course they would be the only ones there on a Saturday. A few minutes into his study session, a cart arrived with barely enough food to satisfy Ashton, but there was no complaining about it. He was almost positive that Alex had told the chefs to give him a small portion on purpose. He sucked it up, telling himself he only had to sit through a few more hours of this nonsense before he was free.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sexual content. skip to dashed line if you dont want to read it.

Ashton had just stepped out of the shower when he heard someone calling for him. He groaned while wrapping a towel around his waist and made his way to the bathroom door. When he opened the door he was pleasantly surprised to see Luke standing there, his clothes slightly damp from his sweat and his skin littered with the tiniest shreds of grass. "Oh that's too bad, if you had come a minute sooner you could have joined me," Ashton said as he walked into his bedroom and straight to his wardrobe.

Luke had a smirk on his face as he followed the boy across the room to the large piece of furniture. Two hands being placed on his waist distracted Ashton from looking at his clothes and made him focused on the taller male behind him. Luke leaned down to Ashton's ear and put his lips right next to it, his breath making Ashton shiver and blush. "What do you want?" he asked quietly.

"I think it's pretty obvious what I want," Luke whispered into his ear.

"Well I have to start getting ready for the ball now, remember? You had your chance-"

The feeling of Luke's lips on his neck stopped Ashton in his tracks. The younger boy regained his composure and turned to the male behind him. "Luke, not now," he said firmly, though the way Luke was looking at him made him want to forget everything he just said and just cave in.

Ashton put his hands on Luke's biceps and licked his lips as he stared at the blond.

"Surely you can spare a few minutes for me," Luke whispered before his lips met Ashton's in a gentle kiss. That was what sent the prince over the edge.

"Did you lock the door?" he mumbled with his lips still pressed against Luke's. He received a nod in response and Luke's lips made their way back to Ashton's neck. Ashton was drawn into Luke's arms, the smell of freshly cut grass strong but he couldn't care less at the moment.

Ashton bit down gently on his bottom lip and closed his eyes, relaxed at the feeling of Luke's lips on his skin. There was a gentle nip here and there, but Luke was always careful not to leave marks on Ashton's skin, at least not ones that were noticeable. Next, Luke's lips traveled back up until they were met with Ashton's again. The prince melted into the kiss and let his hands trail along the servants chest.

Not long after there was a knock at the door. The pair ignored it until a minute later the knock sounded again. Ashton could feel Luke pulling away but he wasn't about to have that, so he tugged him back in again and deepened their kiss. They were so close, he didn't want another delay. But whoever was behind that door wasn't going away anytime soon so he stopped the kiss.

"Who is it?" he called out, his voice slightly raised and very annoyed.

"It's aunt Julia, I have your outfit for the ball," the queen said through the door.

"Just leave it on the handle, I'll get it in a second," he said to get her to go away. He waited a minute or so before taking Luke's hand and pulling him to the bed. "Come on, we don't have a lot of time," he said and started working on the taller male's shorts.

"No no, your majesty. We can do this another time," Luke said. Ashton hated when Luke called him that, and he knew it, so Luke did it just to annoy him.

"You can't keep doing this to me," Ashton groaned. "I order you to have sëx with me, right now."

"Too bad I work for your uncle and not you," Luke joked as he fixed the button and zip on his shorts. "But I do have something else for you, to kind of hold you over until we get some more alone time."

"Oh?" Luke had once again peaked Ashton's interest.

"Lay down."

Ashton was quick to obey and made himself comfortable on the large bed. Luke climbed over the boy and made a trail of kisses down the prince's bare chest. "We have to do this quickly," Luke said and unwrapped the towel that was around Ashton's waist.

Immediately Luke started kissing the inside of Ashton's thighs, while Ashton closed his eyes and focused purely on everything he was feeling. The kisses got higher and Luke's calloused fingers trailed gently along the boy's skin. It wasn't long until the man's fingers were wrapped around Ashton's dïck, moving slowly and gently. Luke's lips were felt at the prince's base and littered kisses along the length of his growing erectïon before they wrapped around his tip, sucking and swirling his tongue around it.

Their eyes locked and Ashton bit down on his lip as more of his length was engulfed in Luke's mouth. He gasped slightly and closed his eyes for a second before he was looking back down at Luke, who started slowly bobbing his head. Luke's tongue was pressed flat against him and he hollowed out his cheeks. On the half that wasn't taken into Luke's mouth, the servant used his hands to give him a few pumps. He twisted his wrist every which way, moving his hand at the same speed as his bobbing head.

Ashton took deep breaths, doing his best to hold in his moans. The ones that escaped came out as sighs and whimpers. Luke used his free hand to cup and gently massage the younger boy's balls, earning a quiet moan from him.

Another knock on the door was heard. It was louder and harder than before. He knew that it was his uncle this time, probably there to fuss at him. He gave Luke a look that told him to stop but the man kept going, giving him a wink. Ashton took a moment to collect himself and the knock was heard again. He knew he had to say something but he was afraid that as soon as he opened his mouth he would give everything away.

"Y-Yes?" he called out weakly.

"I need you to come see me immediately after you get dressed," the king said from behind the door. Ashton was relieved that that was all he said. He wasn't in any condition right now to be fussed at. He heard the king's heavy footsteps walk away before he could say anything in return. He closed his eyes tightly, breathing heavily as he felt a knot forming in his stomach. He moaned out louder in response to Luke's touches. Luke chuckled softly and concentrated on the boy's tip, letting his tongue lap over the slit or swirling it around. Meanwhile, his hands were doing wonders for Ashton. Maybe it was because he had all this tension already up, that he already felt close to his orgasm.

It wasn't long before Ashton came, moans and whimpers leaving his mouth and his hands shaking as they balled into fists around the sheets. Luke eyed the prince as he lapped it all up, keeping his lips wrapped firmly around his tip.

When it was all over, Luke wrapped the towel back around Ashton's waist and climbed over him, giving his one last kiss. "Be ready for me tonight," Luke whispered before getting up and sneaking out of Ashton's room, leaving the boy laying breathless on his bed.

\-------------------

Ashton navigated his way through the halls to his uncle's room. He was dressed in the outfit that his aunt had left out for him, minus the shoulder and a few other things he found to be too extra. He wanted to just wear his own suit, but he knew that being next in line now for Doloria, he would need to stand out more in the crowds. He was glad it was a smaller ball this time around. Only the elite and upper class were going to attend, as well was a few other royal families from friendly nations.

Ashton knocked on the king's door a few times and then a deep voice said, "Come in." He entered and saw his aunt and uncle sitting together on a couch. He made his way to one of the chairs and sat down across from them, prepared to be fussed at for the nth time in god knows how long. He wasn't sure what he had done wrong this time, he couldn't remember breaking any rules, but his uncle always found _something_.

"Has Michael ever spoken to you about Mali?" the king started off. Ashton raised a brow at him, nodding his head slowly.

"Yeah, he used to talk about her a lot," he said hesitantly, unsure of where this was going. Mali was the princess from their neighboring country, Solatium. Michael was practically in love with the girl, but he wasn't sure if the feeling was mutual. Sure, they got along pretty well, but Ashton wasn't convinced that Mali's feelings for Michael were too strong.

"Then you know that she was arranged to marry Michael," his uncle continued and Ashton knew exactly where he was going with this.

"There's no way I'm marrying her."

"Well if Michael can't, you're going to." The king was surprisingly calm as he said this. Usually as soon as Ashton began to put up a fight, King Clifford would lose his temper or raise his voice to show his authority.

"No, no way. I'm not doing that to Michael and I'm sure as hell not about to marry someone that you two chose for me," Ashton protested.

"It's not up to you Ashton. You have to do whats best for our country. Think about the credibility we can get from merging the Hoods and the Cliff-"

"Irwins."

"The Hoods and the Irwins. Doloria is still a very young and small country. This tie can put us on the map. Solatium will become one of our biggest trade partners and-"

"Marriage shouldn't be a business deal," Ashton said, cutting off his uncle once again and standing up. "I'm not interested in marrying Mali. When the time comes for me to tie the knot, it will be with someone I choose. You can work out a different deal with the Hoods, but you're not selling me to them. Find another heir if this is so important to you." He turned and made his way to the door.

"Ashton Fletcher, stop right there!" the king said with his voice raised. Ashton stopped as he approached the door and rolled his eyes, leaning his head back while letting out a groan. "Mali and the rest of the Hood family will be at the ball tonight. Do not speak of any of this nonsense to them whatsoever. Do not pull anything funny tonight or there will be serious consequences."

"I wouldn't expect much of anything from me tonight," Ashton answered with a slight smirk. He was planning on sneaking away with Luke the first chance he got anyway.

After he left, he went straight to Michael's room, where the boy was sleeping in his bed. His breathing was shallow but it wasn't anything new. The nurse had him constantly on oxygen to assist his breathing.

Ashton put on a surgical mask, as he was required to when entering the room, and pulled a chair up to Michael's bed. The sound of the legs scratching across the floor was enough to wake Michael. Ashton sat down and stared at him for a moment, taking in just how awful Michael looked. He was extremely thin now and if people thought he was pale before, he was like a ghost now. He had giant bags under his eyes and just looked exhausted and sick in every way possible.

"They want me to marry Mali," Ashton started and frowned as he saw the hurt look in Michael's eyes. "I don't want to. Especially because of your feelings for her. I don't plan on it either. Your dad sad I have to, but there's no way in hell thats happening."

"But you do have to," Michael croaked out. It was obvious that he hated to admit that, but Ashton wasn't buying.

"Haven't you or your dad heard of negotiations? Isn't that something a ruler has to have? Surely I can make some kind of deal with the Hoods to replace marriage. We've been doing fine without them anyway. I don't see how this is necessary."

"You don't know the specifics yet. Ashton," there was a pause so Michael could cough, "I know life around here has been great but it's not like that for everyone in our country. Our middle class is disappearing and we're not earning enough-"

"Then tell your father to stop spending money on useless things. He keeps adding onto the castle and filling it with crap he never even sees half the time. We live in a fucking castle for Christ's sake! Instead of spending millions to redecorate every few years, put some of that money back into the people's pockets. It's absurd the way your dad runs this place."

"Its not that simple."

"It is that simple."

Michael let out a frustrated sigh and closed his eyes. "You still have a lot to learn if you're that naive."

"Maybe naivety is a good thing if it'll help the people."

"I doubt it."

"You better be healthy again before my coronation," Ashton said with a sigh. "This is too stressful. I'm gonna get wrinkles and grey hairs and I can't afford that."

"Shut up," Michael huffed.

"I was kind of thinking about marrying Luke."

"What?" Michael asked and opened his eyes, raising his brows at Ashton. He looked at his cousin like he was crazy. "Why Luke?"

"He's the only person around here besides you that I really have a connection with," Ashton explained.

"The only connection you two have is purely sexual."

"Not true. Sometimes we just hang out and talk and stuff. Just last week we sat and watched a movie together in the theater. We may have kissed a little but that was it. He may be just a friend but I wouldn't mind being more than that with him."

"What if he doesn't want to marry you though?" Michael had a good point. Ashton was a pretty social person but the only person he took remote interest in romantically was Luke - and he wasn't even sure he could call it that. He had always just assumed he would end up with Luke because he couldn't imagine being with anyone else.

"Well... then he doesn't have to. If he says no, then oh well. I'll just have to keep looking."

"Do you have feelings for Luke?" Michael had to ask.

"No, I can't say that I do."

The two chatted away for a while. Michael kept checking the time, knowing that the ball was going to begin soon. He had to practically force Ashton to leave when the time came, having his nurse escort him out of the room. Ashton made his way down to the second floor of the castle and met up with the king and queen behind the large doors that led to the ballroom. It was almost to make their entrance and Ashton wished to be anywhere but there.


	3. Chapter 3

Ashton stood behind the doors, keeping to himself every time the king and queen tried speaking to him. He wasn't sold on the whole arranged marriage idea. He really would prefer to go out and meet someone on his own, not be forced into a relationship with a stranger. Tonight, he was going to give them the silent treatment. It was awful childish of him, he knew that, but he was sick of having to act like a grown up all the time. He was barely 18 by this time. Everyone was always telling him he had to grow up and straighten himself out, even Luke, though the blonde wasn't as harsh about it as others.

In Ashton's mind, there was so much more to life that he hadn't gotten to experience yet. He wanted to do anything and everything he could possibly think of before even thinking about settling down as king of Doloria. That's a big reason why he was hoping so much for Michael to get better. Yes, Michael was his best friend and cousin and he cared deeply for the man, but he wasn't ready for that kind of responsibility.

On the other side of the door, there was lots of chatter and music, but that all stopped when a loud sound of a trumpet, or a horn, or something, Ashton wasn't sure what it was, sounded. He did know, though, that the sound meant it was time for their appearance. The doors opened and the king and queen were announced first. They walked out, then Ashton was announced and he joined them at their sides. He looked over the crowd, examining as many people as he could, as the bowed down out of respect to them. Ashton had never felt so awkward in his life. He immediately sought relief, so he scanned the room for Luke, knowing he'd be there to serve or clean or something. He couldn't find him though and it made him nervous.

Ashton made his way quickly down the stairs to the tables with the drinks. He just wanted to see a familiar face, or at least a face he liked. He asked another servant to go get Luke and she immediately walked off. While he waited, his eyes scanned the crowd again and he sipped on his wine.

"Drinking already? The night's just begun," Luke's deep voice came from behind him. Ashton jumped and a bit of his wine splashed on the ground. He turned to Luke and playfully hit his chest.

"Don't sneak up on me, you jerk. Where were you?" Ashton whined, taking Luke's hand and pulling him away from the group of people that were now approaching the table.

"Do you forget that I work here?" Luke asked, smiling slightly as he looked at the younger male. Ashton rolled his eyes then took another sip of his wine. His eyes roamed the room, more curious now than nervous. "Ash?" 

Ashton looked back up at Luke, his eyes staring into Luke's. "Yeah?"

"You look amazing."

Ashton blushed and looked around, a smile creeping onto his lips. Luke's firm hands made their way to Ashton's waist and pulled the boy close. Ashton found himself wanting to lean into Luke and be held by him, but he was too aware of his surroundings. As much as he wanted to get cozy with Luke, he kept his distance. "Luke, you're gonna get us in trouble," Ashton mumbled and pulled out of his grip. "If my uncle sees us, he'd surely tear into the both of us. I don't want you to get in trouble."

"I know, I know, you always say that, Ashton. I get it," Luke said and kept his distance from Ashton too. Ashton was too busy not looking at Luke to notice the way Luke was looking at him. "Do you still want to meet up tonight?"

"Of course I do... In our usual place," Ashton answered, talking about their spot in the maze. 

"Alright bub, I gotta go help out in the kitchen. I'll catch up with you later, alright?"

"Is there anything you can't do?" Ashton teased and gave Luke a playful smile, earning a laugh from the servant before he walked off. Ashton decided it was time for him to get a little social, but not until he had another glass of wine in his hand.

He roamed the floor, seeing a few familiar faces. He couldn't really go more than two or three steps before someone stopped him to talk. The conversations were always a bore, but he would try to listen and smile and nod whenever he could. Ashton knew he wasn't fit for this kind of thing. How could anyone look forward to events like this? Michael had always loved them and the king and queen had these gatherings once a month. The people who attended seemed to enjoy themselves, though he was sure some of them had to be acting, like he was. 

Speaking of the king and queen, every time Ashton would see one of them, he'd turn and walk in the other direction. He wasn't ready to deal with them yet. He knew that as soon as they caught up to him, they were going to introduce him to the Hood family. He was going to need a few more glasses of wine before he'd be ready to face them.

It was only an hour or so into the ball and Ashton found himself bored and missing Luke. He really wished Luke was invited to these things rather than having to work them. There would never be a dull moment if Luke was around, surely. The one thing he hated about Luke was that he was a servant, a peasant in the eyes of the King. It wasn't that Ashton looked down on servants. It wasn't like that at all, most of his friends were employed by his own uncle. He just hated that Luke was a servant. He wanted Luke to be like him, maybe not necessarily a prince, but a noble or elite of some sort. He couldn't even begin to describe how much easier it would be on them.

Ashton was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't realize his aunt and uncle approaching him until it was too late. "Ashton, finally, we caught up to you," his aunt said. Her voice was always so gentle. He hated that. But he liked her, a lot more than his uncle. Ashton gave them a fake smile and waved before taking a step back. He stumbled slightly, partly because he was tipsy, partly because he was just a clumsy person.

When he looked at his uncle, the man looked furious, in the least obvious way. Ashton knew that look better than anyone else. To most people, he might just seem slightly annoyed, but Ashton had been receiving that glare a lot lately and he knew all too well what it meant. He was for sure going to be in trouble later for getting drunk at the ball. It was pretty typical of him to do so. Ashton also wasn't in much position to care though.

"Come with us, we have someone we want you to meet," his uncle said and grabbed his arm, pulling him through the crowd.

So this is the moment, Ashton thought. He wasn't sure how he felt at this point. He was about to meet the woman he's supposed to marry and her family. He knew it was shallow of him but all he could hope for was that she was attractive. He was sure he'd get sick of seeing her anyway, though.

As they approached the small family of four, the person who caught his eye definitely wasn't the princess. A young man was standing at her side, his hands folded together behind his back. He looked to be around Luke's age, 23. He had tanned skin and beautiful plump lips and Ashton couldn't help but stare at them until his uncle's booming voice interrupted his daydream.

"Elijah! Good to see you again," the king said, sounding like a man who was catching up with an old friend.

"Good to see you too, Peter. Thank you for inviting us," the other man said politely. Ashton reasonably assumed that Elijah was the current king of Solatium. King Elijah Hood. Ashton repeated the name in his head a few times, liking the sound of it. King Ashton Irwin. He didn't like that so much. 

"Julia and I would like to reintroduce you to my nephew, Ashton. Ashton, this is the Hood family. King Elijah and his wife, Queen Alana, and these are their kids - Calum and Mali," King Clifford said. Ashton shook their hands as they were being introduced, and found himself automatically drawn to Calum. He had to have him. The two kings had walked off somewhere together, Ashton's uncle was probably going to show off a new statue or something. 

"So, Mali, you just came back from college in America, yes? Why don't you tell us about that? What school did you go to?" Queen Julia asked and glanced at Ashton, probably assuming he'd be impressed. He couldn't care less, though. He already decided he wasn't going to waste time with Mali.

"Yeah, sure. I went to Stanford to study law and.." Mali continued speaking but Ashton tuned her out. He pretended to be interested, but every few seconds he'd be eyeing Calum, who was actually listening to what his sister had to say even though he had heard dozens of times before.

It didn't take long for Calum to notice Ashton, and he raised a brow at him subtly. Ashton smirked when he was caught looking and bit his lip. He wanted to say something, but Mali was still talking and he didn't want to seem rude. Calum looked away before Ashton could figure out a move and cleared his throat slightly. The women all looked at him, but the conversation didn't stop. They were completely invested into Mali's story.

Calum waited for there to be a pause in the conversation before speaking up. "Would any of you like something to drink?" he asked, giving the ladies a charming smile. They all nodded and quickly returned to their conversation. Calum walked away and Ashton was quick to catch up with him.

"Let me help you with that. It'll be hard to carry all those glasses on your own," Ashton said as an excuse to get Calum alone. The man just nodded his head, barely acknowledging Ashton. The younger male huffed and tried quickly to think of something to say. "Are you enjoying the party so far?" he asked.

"It's alright, I guess," he shrugged and kept walking.

"These types are always boring. I never stay this long," Ashton added.

"That explains why it's been so long since I've seen you," Calum replied, apologizing to people he would accidentally bump into.

"We've met before?" Ashton asked.

"Yeah, well, a few times before. Last time was nearly three years back, for Michael's 18th birthday," he answered.

"Also another event I didn't stay long for."

"Yeah, well, it was probably for the best. You were drunk off your ass, one of your servants had to escort you out the room."

"That's probably why I don't remember you."

Calum chuckled and shook his head, grabbing two glasses from the table. Ashton took two as well then looked up at Calum. 

"I wanna do something special for Michael's birthday this year," Ashton said after a moment of silence. "He hasn't left his room in over a month. Surely, he's gotta be going insane in there. I'm no doctor but I'm almost positive that keeping him locked up isn't helping him."

"Well, did you have anything in mind? I would like to help."

"All I know is that I wanna get him out of the palace. My uncle watches Michael like a hawk now though, so it'll be hard to do that unless he's better," Ashton explained.

Calum nodded, contemplating what he wanted to say next. "I'm really sorry about Mich-"

"Don't," Ashton cut him off. "That's enough about him for now." Calum bit his lip as he noticed something change in Ashton's eyes. It was there for a second but he recognized it. Michael's health had Ashton worried, no doubt. After losing both his parents to illness, even something as minor as the cold had him on edge. No matter how calm he tried to act, it always showed in his behavior. Ashton had begged his aunt and uncle many times to have Michael transported to America to care for him, but they always complained of how they didn't have the money. It was complete bullshit to him. As soon as he realized how bad Michael's condition was, he started saving up money to get him the care he knew he needed.

"How old are you now?" Calum asked randomly, trying to get away from the topic.

Ashton smirked as he looked at him. "Finally legal, if that's why you're asking," he said with a wink, making Calum roll his eyes.

"Really, Ashton, how old are you?"

"18. You?"

"24," Calum answered.

"I've always had a thing for older men," Ashton shrugged. It was true, Luke was 23 and they've been sneaking around for two years now. Their first time was the day after Michael's 18th birthday. And when he was 15, he had sneaked out into the palace and hooked up with a 19 year old.

"That explains the looks you were giving me earlier," Calum said, laughing softly. Ashton couldn't tell if it was awkward or not. They started making their way back to the group of women they had left earlier, and Ashton didn't noticed Luke standing behind him the whole time, waiting for his turn with the young man.

They chatted away and gave the women their drinks. Ashton was the only one without a glass, figuring he probably shouldn't drink anymore. The two lads only bothered to stick around another 30 minutes before Ashton was leading Calum out the ballroom and into the salon. There was a big staircase in it on which they decided to sit. Calum had another glass of wine in his hand and he was leaning against the steps, laughing at a story Ashton was telling.

A door was heard opening and closing, and quick footsteps were heard, then Luke appeared in the salon. "Ash, there you are," Luke said and he walked closer. He glanced at Calum, his jaw clenched, then looked back at Ashton. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

"Sure, Luke," Ashton said and got up, leaving Calum on the stairs. Luke took his arm and pulled him to the side, leaning his head down so they could talk quietly. "Whats up?"

"What happened to our plans?" Luke asked, looking into Ashton's eyes. Honestly, Ashton forgot as soon as he started talking to Calum.

"I'm sorry, Luke, I really am," he said softly and put a hand on Luke's shoulder. "Can we save it for tomorrow? I don't wanna leave him alone." Luke was obviously annoyed by that. He didn't bother to hide it, and it hurt Ashton's feelings. "Or can we at least wait until the party's over? I can get you out of cleaning duty and we can go up to the theater..." he trailed, trying to bargain with Luke. He didn't want the man to be mad at him.

It took a moment for Luke to decide that he was okay with that. Ashton stood on his toes to kiss Luke's cheek before letting him get back to work. He quickly went back to Calum and continued their conversation.

\----------------------------

Luke carried Ashton on his back quickly up the stairs, the pair giggling and laughing together. Luke made his way through the halls until he arrived at the castles theater. He walked in and closed the door behind them and locked it. Ashton jumped off his back to pick a film and got it started before rushing to his and Luke's favorite seats. They were the most comfortable seats in his mind, even though they were all probably the same.

Luke pulled Ashton onto his lap and the two immediately started kissing. Ashton's hands rested on Luke's shoulders, and Luke's hands were on the smaller boy's waist, holding him still. The kiss was gentle and sweet. Nothing short of innocent. Both were a little tired, but neither were going to admit it. It was obvious in the way they touched each other, though. Every time things got remotely heated, one of them would pull away to yawn. It irritated Luke, but he wasn't going to complain because he was at least getting some alone time with the prince.

"Maybe we should call it quits for tonight, Luke," he said softly and kissed his nose. "We could always do this tomorrow..." 

"I think that would be best," Luke whispered and leaned his head on Ashton's shoulder closing his eyes. "Do you wanna come to bed with me?" 

Ashton smiled at the offer and nodded his head. It wasn't often that Luke let him go to his room. He thought Luke was embarrassed about having to live in the castle, but the blonde always insisted that that wasn't it. Luke carried Ashton up to the third floor and to his room. As soon as they were in, he went straight for the bed and laid down with Ashton in his arms. The prince cuddled into the servant's chest, his eyes closed and a smile on his lips.

"Goodnight Luke," he whispered.

"Goodnight."


	4. Chapter 4

It had been two weeks since the ball, and Ashton was already looking forward to the next one. He was laying down on the couch in his suite, playing on his phone, while Luke was cleaning up the place. The pair had stayed up all night together playing video games and having a mini-food fight each time Ashton would beat Luke.

Ashton was eager to come into contact with Calum again. There were many times where he thought about reaching out to him, but he wasn’t sure what to say. He never had this problem. Talking to guys was a breeze to him, but with Calum, he was afraid he’d choke. Only one night together and Ashton was developing a little crush.

Ashton stared at his phone for a while, his instagram open to Calum’s DMs. He had one word typed out and was trying to think of something else to say besides “hey.” He thought back to their conversation from that night at the ball, racking his brain for something to discuss. Then, it hit him. Michael’s birthday. It was coming up and he still had no clue what he was going to do. He poked his tongue out of his mouth slightly as he wrote a message to Calum.

Text me 555-5555.

He pressed send and waited, hoping Calum would see the DM. The room got darker all of a sudden and Ashton looked up to see Luke closing the curtains. “Why’d you do that?” he asked.

“I’m tired,” Luke answered and made his way towards the couch. “Aren’t you?”

Ashton hadn’t really thought about that. He was, now that Luke mentioned, feeling a little tired. He set his phone down and sat up. He held his arms out to Luke, wanting to be carried to his bed. Luke was used to this. He knew what the signal meant. He lifted the prince of the couch and moved him across the suite to the bed. Ashton’s bed was covered in a decorative floral duvet, with black silk sheets beneath it; he called it the comfiest bed in the kingdom.

Luke laid Ashton in bed then got in beside him. They faced each other for while, looking into each other’s eyes tiredly. The older of the two pulled the smaller boy into his arms and held him tightly, while Ashton nuzzled his head into Luke’s chest. It didn’t take long for him to fall asleep, but Luke was now struggling to despite being more tired. He held the prince protectively in his arms, letting himself imagine it being like this for the rest of his life: him and Ashton. There was no denying his feelings for the young prince. The butterflies he got from simply being in the same room as him, the racing of his heart as they kissed, the nervous feeling he got when things were getting to intimate. In his mind, Ashton was already his. They were going to continue to spend their lives together. Luke fell asleep with this thought, a smile on his lips, and Ashton on his mind.

Later that day they woke up to Ashton’s phone ringing. The prince climbed over Luke and grabbed his phone to see who it was. “Michael,” he said and bit his lip.

“Answer,” Luke encouraged.

Ashton answered the call and laid down on top of Luke, closing his eyes. “Hello?” 

“Hey, uh, are you busy?” Michael asked, his voice rough.

“No, Luke and I were just taking a nap.”

“Oh, did I wake you?”

“No, Mikey. What’s up?”

“I’m bored.”

“Do you want us to come over?”

Michael coughed violently on the other side of the phone, making Ashton cringe. “Yes please,” he answered.

“We’ll be there in a minute,” Ashton answered then hung up, putting his phone down.

Luke gently moved Ashton off of him and got up to go to the bathroom. Ashton got up and fixed his hair so it wouldn’t look so messy then waited for Luke at the door. When the two were finally together, they walked hand in hand to Michael’s room, occasionally separating as someone else passed them in the halls. They were mostly a secret. Only Michael and a few of the other servants knew the details of their friendship, though most of the other servants knew exactly what was going on between Luke and Ashton without even being told.

Ashton knocked on the door to Michael’s room before opening it. Luke and Ashton both grabbed masks, though neither of them really believed it did anything, and put it on. Michael wouldn’t have it any other way. “Thank you for coming,” the sick prince said, his voice rough and scratchy.

“Yeah, yeah, no problem,” Ashton answered and pulled a chair up to Michael’s bedside. Luke sat in it and pulled Ashton onto his lap, wrapping his arms around the small boy.

“I hate being trapped here. It’s been months, shouldn’t I better by now?” he huffed, clearly upset and frustrated. It wasn’t often that Michael let this disease affect his emotions, or at least he didn’t show it often, but when he did, it made Ashton feel horrible.

“Yeah, you should be. But your parents-” Ashton started.

“No, don’t blame this on them,” Michael said, cutting them off.

“Why shouldn’t I? Something is very seriously wrong with you! It’s a miracle you’re even alive right now! They need to get you to a hospital in the United States. Even the crappiest hospital there is qualified to treat and identify whatever this is. Doloria only has three hospitals, and they barely deserve the name! If you’re parents were so fuckng greedy, you-”

“Stop it, Ashton!” Michael said, raising his voice. It was quickly followed by a series of violent coughs. “If they had money to send me to some fancy, American hospital, they would. They wouldn’t let me suffer like this without good reason.”

“That’s bullshit, Michael, and you know it. You know how much they spend every year just to redecorate this place? Your parents are almost as greedy as the French! Our country, our kingdom, gives us so much to only get little in return. Isn’t that fucked up? They have more than enough money to get treatment for you, but they won’t because-”

“Stop,” Michael ordered.

“Stop interrupting me! They won’t because they’re too worried about their appearance to other nations. They seek validation not based off of the good deeds they do for the people, but based on the elegance of their kingdom! It’s insane. Greedy, horrible rulers. Why do you think they were so quick to offer me the position of being king? Instead of focusing on you getting better? They are trying to get rid of any liability or burden-”

“Ashton, stop,” Luke interrupted this time, his voice firm and stern. It took Ashton a moment to realize what he said. The look on Michael’s face and the tears in his eyes made him realize how big of a mistake he made.

“Michael, no, I’m sorry,” Ashton said softly and moved to the bed, sitting beside Michael and grabbing his hand. The prince pulled it away. “Mikey, I didn’t mean it like that… You’re not a burden, not even close. I’m sorry,” he whispered, feeling an intense amount of guilt over what he said.

“Just shut up Ashton,” Michael mumbled, staring straight ahead.

“Please just listen to me Mikey. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to say you were burden. You’re not. I was just trying to say your parents-” Ashton stopped as he noticed Michael was no longer listening.

“I’m not the burden,” Michael whispered after a moment. His jaw kept clenching and breathed deeply. “You are.”

“Now, Michael, you don’t mean that..” Luke said once he saw how upset Ashton looked. 

“Yes I do. When his parents died, we were forced to take him. He was a delinquent, never up to any good. He was always screwing things up. He’s an embarrassment to this family. We only put up with it because we felt bad for him,” he paused and looked at Ashton, “What do you think your parents would say if they knew about the things you’ve done? They would be disappointed in you. They’re lucky that they didn’t have to see you turn out like this: a no good slut with no future. They weren’t the ones who had to deal with you and fix your mistakes, we were. You were our burden. You are our burden. And, you would have been theirs too.”

Ashton shook his head, tears rolling down his cheeks. “Okay,” he whispered and stood up. “I guess I’ll get out of your hair then.” He wiped at his eyes then rushed out of the room.

Luke stood up at glared at Michael. “What the fuck was that?” he hissed.

“Just leave,” Michael ordered.

Luke left quickly and slammed the door, yanking off his mask. Ashton was nowhere to be seen, so he rushed back to the prince’s bedroom, but he wasn’t there. Luke checked a few other places in the castle before going outside, hoping he was in the maze.

The tall blonde made his way through the maze quietly, trying to listen for any sign of Ashton being there. As he neared the center of the maze, he heard soft sniffles and knew he had just found his prince. “Ash? Baby, is that you?” he asked as he came out from behind a bush wall.

Ashton was sat on the side of the fountain with his knees pulled up to his chest while he stared down at the water. Seeing the fish swim past him gave him a calming feeling, but he was clearly still upset about what Michael said to him. He knew he wasn’t the easiest person to deal with, or the best influence, but he wasn’t all that bad. Michael’s parents were more strict on their son than on Ashton, that’s just how it was.

“Ashy…” Luke trailed as he approached the small male. He sat down next to Ashton and studied his face. He could tell that something Michael said had really gotten to him.

“I think he’s right,” Ashton whispered after a few minutes of silence.

“He wasn’t.”

“He was right. My parent’s wouldn’t be proud if they saw how I turned out.”

“That’s not true.”

“Luke, I may not remember much about my parents, but I know that they wouldn’t have wanted this for me. They wouldn’t want be sleeping with a man 5 years older than me. They wouldn’t want me getting drunk at balls, especially within the first hour. I would disappoint them all the time, just like I disappoint my uncle and my aunt and Michael all the time.”

“Look, Ash… I knew your parents pretty well. They were so kind and such loving and accepting people. I remember when I first got hired at the kingdom, I was 11. I started working here because my family had gained a lot of debt, and your uncle was willing to pay it off in exchange for my service. Your parents fought to keep out of here because they thought it was wrong to force someone so young to work so much and so hard. Of course, your uncle didn’t listen, but they were always there if I was ever mistreated. They stood up for me. When I was 13, your mom was the first person I came out to when I realized I was into guys. She was so supportive of me, and so was your father. I guess my point is, they wouldn’t be disappointed in you. They would be proud of your experience and they would encourage you to try your hardest to be the best you can be. They would accept all your flaws and love you for them. They would be here to help, no matter how sticky the situation. You would never be a nuisance or a burden to them,” Luke explained, trying to make Ashton feel better.

The curly haired prince turned so he was facing Luke and had a continuous stream of tears coming out of both eyes. “Tell me more about my parents,” he whispered. “Please.” Ashton was only 8 when they passed away. He remembered some things, but a big part of his childhood before they passed was blocked from his memory. He wasn’t sure why he could only remember a few things.

“Of course,” Luke agreed and gave Ashton a smile, wiping at some of his tears. “Your mother was one of the best people you could have the pleasure of meeting and knowing. I always envied you, because I wanted parents like yours. They loved you so much, more than anything.” He cupped Ashton’s cheek and looked into his eyes, which brought a smile to the younger lad’s face. “Your father was incredibly smart. He helped the two of us with our school work and always went the extra mile if we were struggling. He would stay up extra late to put together little activities to help us learn. He would never scold us. He was so nice. Your mother loved science too. I remember, if I was struggling too much with something she would just do it for me. I wasn’t gonna complain,” he paused and laughed, then continued, “and she loved doing it. She was actually planning on going to England for college. Do you remember that? The year she passed? She wanted to go back to school to get a doctorate in biology.”

“I don’t remember that, no,” Ashton whispered, shaking his head. He was a little saddened by not remembering that, but he wasn’t surprised.

Luke noticed the look in his eyes and gently pulled Ashton onto his lap. “Hey, that's okay,” he whispered and kissed his chin. “It’s okay to not remember. It’s alright,” he assured.

The prince teared up all over again. “It’s not alright,” he whispered and shook his head. “You know more about them than me.. They were my parents.” It hurt him a lot, but he knew it couldn’t be helped. It was too late for him.

“Let me teach you then, okay? Maybe that’ll help you feel better,” the servant said kindly.

“I don’t know Luke,” he whispered.

“If you wanna stop for now, that's okay. I can take you back up to your room, or we could go to my room if you’d like.”

“No… I wanna stay here… watch the sunset,” he whispered and sniffled, rubbing his eyes.

“Okay, then we’ll sit here and watch the sunset,” Luke confirmed then kissed him gently, hoping to make him feel better.

“Thank you.” Ashton turned around so he could see the sun and leaned his back against Luke’s chest.


End file.
